No
wonder people are becoming more agnostic and/or may consider themselves an
atheist. If there is a Creator that is All Powerful and All Love, why all the
suffering?

Spiritists
do not believe in Heaven or Hell in the Biblical sense. We do not believe that
the Creator is like an Old Man dealing out punishments and blessings.

We
believe in an Omnipotent Creator that has established natural Divine Laws to
regulate our lives that work in accordance with our soul’s freewill for the
purpose of our own spiritual, moral and intellectual progress through merit.

It
is a struggling process of evolution within a myriad of lives. We choose what
trials and tests we want to undergo. Therefore, there is a just cause for
everything suffered although we cannot see it from our very limited human view
of things.

Material
life and death is a temporary natural process. Only our soul is eternal, and we
do NOT suffer eternally! God’s Love helps elevate us!

Those
who have access to listen at spirit sessions can hear from the spirits who come
to tell their histories about the “how and why” of their sufferings while they
were here on earth, and what their circumstances are now in the spirit world.

So
many spirits, after so much suffering on our planet, express how they feel so
unburdened from the many debts that had weighed down their souls, accumulated from
so many previous lives.

Many
spirits express their delight in the many sacrifices they made while on Earth;
feeling such joy due to the progress they had acquired.

Here
on Earth we only see the suffering and the bad and the horror, but it is in the
spirit world where all good results and amazing consequences, of a soul now much
more purified, is revealed.

We
reap the rewards for all our sufferings after we return to our true home in the
spirit world (which many call Heaven or the Kingdom of God).

So, try to be consoled all those who suffer
and weep, for all that you have learned
and all who you have loved in this life are never lost; the Creator’s
Divine Plan is Perfect, Just and Merciful.

MELANCHOLY

Communication by Francois de Genève (Bordeaux, France,
in 1860s exact date not given)

“Do you know why sometimes a vague sadness
fills your heart, leading you to consider that life is bitter? This is because
your Spirit, aspiring to happiness and liberty, on finding itself tied to the
physical body which acts like a prison, becomes exhausted through vain efforts
to seek release.”

“On recognizing that these attempts are
useless, the soul becomes discouraged, and as the body suffers the influence of
the Spirit, it feels itself weary, apathetic, full of despondency and it is
then that you judge yourself to be unhappy. Believe me when I tell you to
resist these tendencies with all your strength, as they only weaken your
will-power. Aspirations for a better life are inborn in all mankind, but do not
seek them in this world.”

“Now that God is sending His Spirits to
instruct you on happiness, which He has reserved for you, await with patience
for the time when the liberating angel will come to help you break away from
the ties which hold your Spirit captive.”

“Remember, during your exile here on Earth,
you have a mission to fulfill that you do not even suspect; be it dedicating
yourself to your family or fulfilling the various obligations bestowed upon you
by God.”

“If within the course of this exiled
probation, while seeking exoneration, you feel about to collapse through
anxiety, uneasiness, or tribulations, be strong and courageous enough to
support these pressures.”

“Stand up to them with resolution for they
will soon pass. These are the only means by which you may reach those for whom
you pine and who, jubilant at seeing you once again amongst them, will hold out
their hands towards you so as to guide you to regions inaccessible to earthly
afflictions.”

PATIENCE

By a
Friendly Spirit (Havre, France 1862)

“Pain is a blessing sent by God to all His
elected; so, when you suffer do not allow yourself to become afflicted; rather
bless the Omnipotent Who, through the pain of this world, has chosen you to
receive glory in Heaven.”

“Be patient, because this is also a
charity; everyone should practice the law of charity as taught by Christ, who
is God's Envoy. Charity given to the poor in the form of alms is the easiest of
all.”

“However, there is another kind of charity
which is much more laborious and so consequently offers higher merit. That is
to forgive all those placed in your pathway by God to act as instruments for
your suffering and to test your patience.”

“We know full well that life is difficult,
being composed of so many apparently useless, insignificant and valueless
things which act as repeated pinpricks and end up hurting us. However, if on
the one hand we observe with care the duties imposed upon us, and on the other
recognize the consolations and compensations received, then we must admit that
the blessings are far more numerous than the pains.”

“When our eyes are raised up to Heaven our
burdens appear to be less heavy than when our brow is bowed down to the earth.
Courage, my friends! Christ is your model. He suffered far more than any of you
and had nothing to offer penitence for, whereas we must atone for our past and
thereby fortify ourselves for the future. So be patient…”

(First spirit
communication from Chapter 5, item 25 and second one from Chapter 9, item 7
from Kardec’s book The Gospel according
to Spiritism. Translated from the original French by Janet Duncan)

THE
LOST SHEEP

Written by Yvonne Crespo
Limoges

The superior spirits have continually told
us our Supreme Model and Guide of how we should act and be like is - JESUS. Where are his teachings?
Spiritist Miguel Vives clearly states in his book A Practical Guide for the Spiritist[1]
they are contained in the Gospels (Bible). In Kardec’s book The Gospel according to Spiritism
provides those sections from the Bible of Jesus’ teachings with further
clarifying explanations from the spirit world and commentaries by Kardec as
well.

Below is one story (a parable) Jesus used
to teach others about helping and providing charity for others. It is in the
Bible, in section Luke 15:1-7.

Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around
to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law
[rabbis] muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then
Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a
hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the
open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And
when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and
goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice
with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the
same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

******

So, what did Jesus mean? That every person is important. Not
just those people who we like, or are easy to deal with, or are fun to be
around, or are doing well, but… every person.
Especially, those who may seem to be ungrateful or the most frustrating or
uncomfortable for us to help.

The whole purpose of material life is for
ALL of us to progress, and we live together on this planet to help each other.
Jesus said, “Love others, as yourself.”

Haven’t we ALL made mistakes, errors of
judgement, went down a wrong path in life, hurt ourselves or others, been
selfish, or been sick of mind, body or soul at one time? No one is perfect!

Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be
judged.”

And,
helping others can be more than just by material means; examples are: act without judgment, offer words of encouragement,
be kind, offer praise on any achievement, advise, console and sympathize, show
you care in various ways and that you have not forgotten them. For the parable
also says, Jesus, “welcomes sinners and eats with them.” He did not avoid them.

In this parable, a “lost sheep” is a person
who is “lost” whether by their own actions or outside circumstances…and whether
physically, morally, intellectually, spiritually, or in other ways. Everyone is
at a different level of understanding.

Jesus said, we should “find” (actively
seek, not avoid) those who are “lost” (those in need) and “joyfully” (without
bitterness, resentment or anger) bring them “home” (to a good place as you can
– whether physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, etc.) and “rejoice” (we
are to be glad to have the opportunity to help someone in need).

And, Jesus also stressed there is more
merit helping those who need it the most. He loved all “sinners” (lepers,
prostitutes, the very poor, all the outcasts)!

No
matter how much material wealth we have on Earth, we leave it only with the good
deeds and wrongful acts that we have accumulated here.

JUDGING
COMMUNICATING SPIRITS

Important
Points:

- Superiority, or inferiority, of spirits can
be determined by their language to a large part.

- Spirits giving a particular name does not
guarantee identity, nor superiority. Superior spirits usually do not give a
name. It is the message that is most
important.

- Accept of spirit communications, only
what is good, generous, rational, and approved alike, by your intellect and
your conscience.

- One can NEVER be certain of the truth of
any spirit communication. Therefore, judge each one on its own merit.

- Earnest thought, directed at God, can be
an effective deterrent against deceptive spirits but it is not a guarantee that
one will never be deceived.

- Spirits can send proxies (substitutes)
when needed (as a particular spirit may not be available or able to come).
Again, the message is the most important thing.

- if one is deceived by spirits it is
because of our imperfection, and for that imperfection and consequent
deception, we ALONE are to blame. God permits this in order to both test you
and to enlighten your judgment, by teaching you truth from error; if you cannot
do this it is because you are not sufficiently advanced, and need to
learn further lessons.

Conclusion:

- listen to and/or read spirit communications carefully.

- judge the communication, weighing the language carefully.

- be wary of spirits giving specifics (famous
names, etc.).

- judge each message on its own merit.

- you may accept was is rational, and
reject what is not, or you may defer judgment.(Info from The Mediums’ Book, Chapter XXIV
published by Allan Kardec and compiled by Y. C. Limoges)

PEOPLE
IN OUR LIVES

Inspirationally
received by Yvonne Crespo Limoges

It is NOT by mere chance…the people we have
met and influenced us, or those that surround us daily, or those currently in
our life that we are emotionally close to or who we love…in various relationships,
in different circumstances or at various times in our life.

We may have strong attractions to some, and
intense aversion to others.

However, whether as a test, to pay a debt,
make atonement; whether to teach or to learn from them; whether to give help or
to receive it; or, to spend a brief time…a fair amount…or even a lifetime
together…there is a Divine reason.

Freewill (we make choices) and personal
responsibility (we reap what we sow) plays an important role in our
relationships.

For this particular lifetime, we are all on
a journey together. It’s about Life lessons!

Spiritist Society of Florida (est.
1982)

[1] Only 61 pages, it is a true gem of wise advice for how we should
be/act before the Creator, Jesus, with ourselves, our family, humanity, support
the temptations and trials of life and much more. Translated into English by
our founder Edgar Crespo and available on www.amazon.com
.